How much debt do DeVry University criminal justice graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $54,985, which ranks 19th lowest of 19 criminal justice bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $583 a month over 10 years.

Is a criminal justice degree from DeVry University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 128% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. Compare the cost with other Illinois programs before deciding.

DeVry University Criminal Justice (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Criminal Justice and Corrections
Private for-profit university
Lisle, IL
About 32 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

DeVry University criminal justice graduates earn more than graduates of most criminal justice programs nationally, $43,091 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $54,985 in federal loans, more than at 99% of criminal justice programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying criminal justice degrees in Illinois.

First-year earnings$43,09181st percentile of 557 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,75018% more than year one

Median federal debt$54,98519th lowest of 19 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings128%Illinois median 64%, national 67%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Illinois and national columns are the medians across all criminal justice bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	DeVry University	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$43,091	$39,884	$37,641
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,750	$58,710	$53,142
Median federal debt at graduation	$54,985	$25,376	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	128%	64%	67%
Programs compared		22	557

Five years out, DeVry University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $7,960 less than the Illinois median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois criminal justice program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Illinois medians.

DeVry UniversityOther Illinois programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 18% between the first and fifth year.

DeVry University grads, year 1$43,091

DeVry University grads, year 5$50,750

All Illinois criminal justice grads, year 5$58,710

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $583 a month, or 16.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (191 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	10% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	30–39%
In default	10% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $43,091 salary here buys what about $41,596 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to criminal justice, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Security Guards

$39,490

Median pay in Illinois. 53,830 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 156,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $35,520Top 10%: $63,950

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

$100,520

Median pay in Illinois. 29,180 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 51,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $58,420Top 10%: $119,560

Compliance Officers

$80,550

Median pay in Illinois. 10,650 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 32,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $50,040Top 10%: $132,290

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

$63,220

Median pay in Illinois. 19,860 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 33,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $47,120Top 10%: $105,660

About DeVry University

Tuition and fees	$17,408 / year
Average net price after aid	$30,770 / year
Admission rate	98%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	37%
Undergraduate students	27,825

Criminal Justice ranks 12th of 13 bachelor's programs at DeVry University by first-year earnings. The top three are Medical Laboratory Science ($70,874), Electrical Engineering Technology ($67,395), and Electromechanical Technology ($62,864).

Other criminal justice bachelor's programs near Lisle

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
DeVry UniversityLisle, IL · private for-profit		$43,091	$54,985
Benedictine UniversityLisle, IL · private nonprofit	2 mi	$46,020	$25,979
Elmhurst UniversityElmhurst, IL · private nonprofit	11 mi	$38,352	$27,000
Aurora UniversityAurora, IL · private nonprofit	13 mi	$44,150	$23,635
Lewis UniversityRomeoville, IL · private nonprofit	14 mi	$37,583	$20,000
Saint Xavier UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	22 mi	$39,033	$27,000
Northeastern Illinois UniversityChicago, IL · public	24 mi	$40,719	$13,625
UICChicago, IL · public	24 mi	$34,551	$15,875
Roosevelt UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	26 mi	$41,203	$24,625

Common questions

The median graduate earns $43,091 one year after graduating and $50,750 five years after. The median across criminal justice bachelor's programs in Illinois is $39,884.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Illinois comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the criminal justice program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Criminal Justice bachelor's programs in Illinois, ranked22 programs by pay and debt Criminal Justice bachelor's programs in the US, ranked557 programs by pay and debt All DeVry University programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt